Democrat leaders discount comments by Dean on GOP / But they want him to stay as party chair, reportedly plan showing of public support

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, June 9, 2005

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DEAN06_079_PG.JPG Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee who is in town doing a fundraiser today.
The San Francisco Chronicle, Penni Gladstone
Photo taken on 6/6/05, in San Francisco,

DEAN06_079_PG.JPG Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee who is in town doing a fundraiser today.
The San Francisco Chronicle, Penni Gladstone
Photo taken on 6/6/05, in San Francisco,

Photo: Penni Gladstone

Democrat leaders discount comments by Dean on GOP / But they want him to stay as party chair, reportedly plan showing of public support

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Leading Democrats distanced themselves Wednesday from Howard Dean's characterization of the GOP as a "white Christian party," while suggesting that Republicans have seized on the Democratic Party chief's controversial remarks to divert attention from the Bush administration's failures at home and abroad.

House Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco told reporters in Washington that "I do not agree with the statement that was made" by Dean at a roundtable discussion this week and reported Tuesday by The Chronicle.

In a later telephone interview, Pelosi firmly rejected any talk that Dean should resign from his post as Democratic National Committee chairman, calling that "ridiculous" and "unthinkable."

"Wouldn't they just love that?" she said of the Republicans. "Howard Dean is doing a great job ... he energizes the grassroots." She characterized Dean's comment as overenthusiasm, saying "he just tells it the way he sees it . .. but that's what part of his appeal is."

The lesson, she said is that "when you become ... chairman of the Democratic National Committee, you have to understand the weight of your words. What weighed an ounce before now weighs a ton."

Pelosi's comment came as Senate leaders reportedly planned a news conference and photo opportunity to show public support for Dean in Washington on Thursday, according to a Boston Globe report.

The event, which was to be a closed session between Dean and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and his leadership team, was revised to illustrate Democrats' rallying behind Dean following two weeks of controversy regarding the DNC chair's outspoken remarks, the paper said.

Dean, in San Francisco on Monday, said Republicans "all behave the same, and they all look the same ... it's pretty much a white Christian party." He characterized the GOP as "not very friendly to different kinds of people," adding "they're a pretty monolithic party."

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was tougher than Pelosi in her reaction to Dean's statements.

"The party chairman should concentrate on raising funds and supporting Democrats and not on making outrageous statements," she said in an e-mail to The Chronicle.

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek, said, "I don't agree with what Howard Dean is saying, and I don't agree that you have to resort to pejorative personal attacks to make your point -- especially when we have the high ground" on issues ranging from technology and education to national security and Iraq.

Tauscher also said Dean should stay on in the job he won earlier this year, although "I'd be for taking Howard Dean to the woodshed, but I also think frankly ... he needs to get back to the simple work of organizing the party, making sure we have party effectiveness."

Dean touched off a flurry of criticism last week by saying Republicans "never made an honest living in their lives," which he later clarified to say he meant Republican "leaders." Dean was forced to defend himself again Wednesday for the latest statements about Republicans as "a white Christian party."

"Unfortunately, by and large it is. And they have the agenda of the conservative Christians," Dean told the "Today" show. "This is a diversion from the issues that really matter: Social Security, and adequate job opportunity, strong public schools, a strong defense."

For the second week in a row, however, Dean's outspokenness gave Republican Party leaders a chance to go on the attack.

The matter was even raised Wednesday on the floor of the Senate as lawmakers debated the nomination of California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown to the federal appellate court.

Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said Democrats led by Dean have been guilty of "political hate speech."

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., talking with Latino journalists, said that "last week's scandal is Deep Throat. This week's scandal is Dean throat -- and apparently Dean likes the taste of his own foot."

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said that Dean's comments "speak to a party that's adrift, angry and without any ideas. Because they lack any coherent agenda, Dean is the leader of a minority party resorting to wild-eyed rhetoric."

And Schmitt said that statements by Democratic leaders -- such as Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. -- who insisted that Dean is not the party spokesman are disingenuous. "He does speak for the party," she said. "He's the party leader."

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman -- who will address a group of Jewish Republicans today -- joked on Fox TV that "a lot of folks who attended my Bar Mitzvah would be surprised" that he heads a party of Christians.

But, he added, "We gotta get ourselves beyond this point where when we disagree about politics, we call the other guy names."

In the wake of the controversy, a recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll found that 82 percent of Republicans identify themselves as "white Christians." But the poll also found that a majority of Democrats, 57 percent, also consider themselves the same -- as do two-thirds of all Americans.

It was one reason why Democrats -- hoping to close the 3 million vote gap that delivered President Bush his re-election victory last year over Democratic opponent Sen. John Kerry -- in radio, television and newspaper interviews across the country Wednesday tried to soften the impact of Dean's comments.

"Did he make a mistake with these comments? Absolutely," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., a former Democratic National Committee chairman. "You don't criticize the electorate here."

And Democrats insisted it is time to get back to issues that matter to voters, including national security, education, and the environment.

"Believe it or not, we are here doing our work," Pelosi told The Chronicle. "For the Republicans to make an issue of a statement made by the chair of the DNC ... is really completely consistent with their other hypocrisy."

Gloria Nieto, a vice chair of the party's gay and lesbian caucus -- and director of the San Francisco-based Lyon-Martin Women's Health Clinic -- said Dean has the backing of the party's grass roots.

"From where I sit, he's doing a great job," Nieto said. "The good intention is there. People complained that we didn't fight back -- and now we're fighting back, and people say we're not doing it right."

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